Hunting the "cowardly" fish, many households change their lives

Talking about the profession of catching clams in the Cam River area (Dong Trieu district, Quang Ninh province), people with experience still say that the profession of catching clams has existed for a long time, passed down from generation to generation, then from generation to generation.

But in the past, no one got rich from clams. Clam catchers here in the past were like clams, all day long their feet were covered in mud, wading along the riverbanks. But now it's different, clams have become a specialty product with high value...

People spread crab traps along the edge of the field to catch crabs.

When clams become a specialty

Telling us about the story of making a living from clams, Ms. Nguyen Thi Truc, Xuan Cam area, Xuan Son ward (Dong Trieu - Quang Ninh) pointed to the fields looming in the distance, her eyes nostalgic: "Along the two banks of the Cam River flowing through Dong Trieu, in the past, people's lives only depended on rice grains, two crops a year. But in this area, the downstream of the river adjacent to the estuary, here is an area of ​​sour fields, salty water, the rice plants cannot grow, so after each harvest, with nothing to do, the people here go to the fields to catch clams to improve their meals and sell for extra income..."

"In the past, not many people ate clams, and no one would take them if they were given to them. But now things have changed. Clams, which were once "thrown away" and now have a value dozens of times higher than rice. When clams "reigned", clam catchers' lives changed. Many people have become rich from clams," Ms. Truc shared.

People collect heavy baskets of fish.

Expressing our desire to witness the crab catching, Ms. Truc took us to the field to collect crab traps. The place where the traps are placed is on the riverbank. It seems simple but getting there is also a difficult journey. We followed the bank of the Cam River to the crab trap.

The mud here is wet, sticky and sticky, so every time we put our feet down, it feels like they are being swallowed up, making it difficult to lift them up. To walk, we have to hold on to the wild bushes growing on the slope. Occasionally, if we hold on to a weak branch, we will slip and fall forward, our clothes covered in mud.

Clams are relatively difficult to catch, so our ancestors have had a saying since ancient times: "as timid as clams". Whenever they see movement from afar, clams will crawl into their holes. Clam holes in muddy areas are quite hard, almost vertical. To catch clams, the traditional method is still to fish for clams or set traps for clams.

The main season for catching clams is from March to September of the lunar calendar. To set traps, from early morning when it is still dark, "clam hunters" like Ms. Truc have to go to the fields to set traps with baits of snail shells roasted with bran. According to Ms. Truc's experience, when the tide rises, clams leave their burrows to find food and will crawl into the traps. In the middle of the morning, you have to collect the traps and bring them back. Don't leave them too long in the hot sun or the clams will die.

The joy of catching "God's blessing".

Ms. Truc lifted up a basket and showed me, inside were plump yellow-backed clams. Ms. Truc collected the baskets and arranged them evenly on both ends of the carrying pole to take home. When she got home, she poured all the clams she had trapped into a large basin that weighed more than 15kg.

Like Ms. Truc, many households along the Cam River also catch clams with a daily productivity of 15-20kg. According to our research, the current average price of clams is also from 80,000-100,000 VND/kg. If the tide is not good and clams are scarce, the selling price can be up to 150,000 VND/kg. Doing simple calculations, we can calculate that clam catching can bring in millions of VND a day. It is not wrong to say that many people in Dong Trieu have "changed their lives" thanks to clams.

Keep "heaven's blessing"

Back to Ms. Truc's story, since the day the clams were sold at a good price, she has saved up money from selling the earthworms each season, helping her family have food and savings. She said: Clams and earthworms are like a gift from heaven to the people living along the Cam River, but the gift from heaven does not come naturally forever. Now, many people catch clams and collect earthworms for a long time, and it will eventually run out. The important thing is how to make our lives depend on the clams so that our children and grandchildren can still have clams to develop...

Then, from this idea, Ms. Truc discussed with her family to bring the money she had saved to bid for more than 5 hectares of alluvial land along the river to build fields to raise earthworms and clams. In the field area, she built high banks for the clams to dig holes. On the banks, she planted some fruit trees such as bananas, jackfruit, and dragon fruit to have more income.

In addition, in the rice field area, she does not use any pesticides to ensure the quality of water and soil for the fish to live.

Mussels are raised in a clean environment with enough food, so they grow and develop well. Currently, Ms. Truc also opened a small restaurant to sell specialties grown by her family. The good news spread far and wide, many customers come to her shop to enjoy the taste of Dong Trieu specialties made from mud worms and mussels.

Cam River clams are a specialty used to make many delicious dishes.

The family of Ms. Nguyen Thi Chuyen, village 1, Xuan Son commune also invested in improving low-yield rice fields to create a living environment for mussels and earthworms. With nearly 15 years of experience in catching mussels, understanding the living characteristics of this riverine aquatic species, her family has recreated a wonderful living environment for them.

Every year, Ms. Chuyen grows rice but does not spray pesticides or use chemical fertilizers. She only waits until the rice is harvested to make the land fragrant with the smell of rice, then the clams and earthworms come. Then, after the harvest, her family plows the rice fields to create space for the earthworms to live, builds high banks, and plants grass on the banks to give the earthworms shelter. In return, the clams and earthworms have a good environment to grow and thrive, helping the family have a high income.

Sharing with us, Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Xuan Son Commune Nguyen Van Nghia said: Now, many households, in addition to raising clams, also open restaurants to serve local specialties, or allow guests to visit the fields and experience catching clams. The service from clam and worm ponds has initially been effective, helping many households' incomes increase dozens of times compared to before.